Gary Boas, News Editor, gary.boas@photonics.comResearchers face old-school challenges in developing state-of-the-art technologies. Researchers and clinicians use fiber optic-based probes for a wide range of applications – which means the probes must exhibit varying amounts of complexity. On one end of that spectrum sit the...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaARTICLESEndospectroscopic Imaging Takes Optical Biopsies to the Next LevelSpectroscopy has the potential to provide pathologists with fast in vivo tissue characterization to determine tumor type and grade and to delineate tumor margins. However, extending the applicability...BioPhotonics January 2018 IssueSpace Photonics: A Platform Technology for Satellite SystemsPhotonics is rapidly transforming into an enabling space technology with potential to cross-fertilize multiple markets in the space domain. 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Our solution: a flexible fiber optic multi-branch device with...Photonics.com 3/14/2018Supporting the Photonics Industry from the Laboratory - LIGHT MATTERS 01.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you to central Massachusetts as Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Quinsigamond Community College take on a comprehensive joint photonics laboratory...Photonics.com 1/18/2018Photonics West 2017 Ushers in the New Year - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2017Photonics Media followed the photons all the way to San Francisco earlier this month for SPIE’s Photonics West 2017. The year truly begins with this event for many in the industry, as it is a symbol...Photonics.com 2/23/2017Photonics on the Showroom Floor and in the Lab - LIGHT MATTERS 02.2018On this month's episode of Light Matters, we take you on a brief tour of the Higgins Laboratories at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). Quinsigamond Community College and WPI received a $4M grant...Photonics.com 2/21/2018WHITEPAPERSOptSim Circuit: A SPICE-Like Photonic Simulator for Scalable PhotonicThe time for large-scale photonic integrated circuits (PICs) has arrived. Governments, academia and industry are all onboard to transfer knowledge gained from decades of manufacturing experience in...Photonics.com 4/1/2017Small-Diameter Thin FBGs Ideally Suited for Embedded Sensing in CompositesFor many advanced embedded-FBG sensing applications it has become necessary and critical that the sensing fibers have small dimension, light weight, and low bend sensitivity in order to allow easy...Photonics.com 10/11/2016Selecting the Optimal LMA FiberSeveral LMA fiber options are available to laser manufacturers. Understanding the tradeoffs and performance impacts of the fiber properties and characteristics is important for selecting the most...Photonics.com 10/25/2016How to Fail Fast and Smart During the Optical Product Design ProcessFailure is an inevitable part of the product development process, because you have to explore all the ways a design won’t work to find the way it will work. 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In fiber optics, optical fibers are...EDU.photonics.com 1/14/2013cladding glassIn fiber optics, the glass that is found around the glass core of the fiber, and that has a lower refractive index than the fiber.EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009endoscopeA medical instrument used to view inside the human body by inserting the instrument into a natural or created aperture. The endoscope may use a coherent fiber optic bundle or conventional optics to...EDU.photonics.com 9/8/2009PHOTONICS HANDBOOK ARTICLESA History of the Laser: A Trip Through the Light FantasticA HISTORY OF THE LASER In honor of the laser turning 50, here is a timeline of some of the more notable scientific accomplishments related to light amplification by stimulated emission of...Photonics HandbookLight Is the Ultimate Medium for High-Speed Communications: Thanks to innovations with heterogeneous material integration and multiphotonic layer stacking, silicon photonics will drive optical solutions to high volumes and low costs.Silicon photonics is widely considered a key enabling technology for further development of optical interconnect solutions needed to address growing traffic on the internet. From the first submarine...Photonics HandbookFluorescence Lifetime Imaging Made Easy: Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), which measures the spatial distribution of the fluorescence decay, can be achieved either in the time or in the frequency domain. Each approach exhibits advantages and disadvantages, depending on the type of light detector and acquisition method employed.The term fluorescence is often applied as a synonym for photoluminescence, although luminescence actually covers fluorescence and phosphorescence. Both of these terms describe the process of...Photonics HandbookAspheric Lenses: Design Considerations: This first of two articles will cover design and manufacturing options for aspheres; the second will include more detail on manufacturing and testing processes. 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